SAN DIEGO, Calif., – The San Diego Padres today announced they will honor Trevor Hoffman in a special postgame retirement ceremony on Sunday, August 21, following the team’s 1:05 p.m. game against the Florida Marlins.

Hoffman’s family, friends and former teammates will be on hand to pay tribute to Major League Baseball’s all-time saves leader, and look back on his historic playing career that spanned 18 seasons, including parts of 16 years with San Diego. The Padres will retire Hoffman’s iconic number 51 as part of the ceremony. Fans with tickets to that day’s game are invited to stay to witness the milestone in Padres history and show their support for fan favorite Hoffman.  All fans at the game will receive an exclusive Hoffman giveaway item to commemorate their attendance at the historic occasion.

“We are excited to honor Trevor for his tremendous playing career and thank him for his contributions to Major League Baseball and, specifically, the San Diego Padres,” Padres Vice Chairman/CEO Jeff Moorad. “He is an iconic figure in Padres history and is unquestionably deserving of a celebration to be remembered for years to come.”

Hoffman announced his retirement from playing baseball in January, the same time he joined the Padres’ front office as a special assistant to club President and COO Tom Garfinkel. He ended his playing career with 601 saves in 677 opportunities, a 61-75 record, 2.87 ERA (347 ER/1089.1 IP), .211 opponent batting average and 1,133 strikeouts in 1,035 relief appearances.  The seven-time all-star (1998, 99, 2000, 02, 06, 07, 09) also finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting (1996, 98, 99, 2006) and in the top 25 in Most Valuable Player voting (1996, 98, 2005, 06) on four occasions each.

Originally signed as a shortstop by the Cincinnati Reds out of the 1989 First-Year Player Draft, Hoffman was then selected by the Marlins in the 1992 Expansion Draft and made his Big League debut with Florida in 1993.  He was acquired by the San Diego Padres along with right-handed pitchers Jose Martinez and Andres Berumen in exchange for infielder Gary Sheffield and left-handed pitcher Rich Rodriguez on June 24, 1993 and made his Padres debut the next day.

Over his 16 seasons with San Diego, Hoffman compiled a 54-64 record with 552 saves in 618 opportunities (.893 save percentage), a 2.76 ERA (292 ER/952.1 IP), .211 opponent batting average and 1,029 strikeouts in 902 relief appearances.

A California native and San Diego resident, Hoffman has been heavily involved in the local community since joining the Padres in 1993.  He has worked extensively with the National Kidney Foundation and Rady Children’s Hospital, while also donating his time and resources to the Padres Scholars program, the San Diego Family Justice Center and numerous military outreach programs.  Hoffman was named the local recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award on six occasions and was honored with both the Lou Gehrig Award and Teammates for Kids Award in 2006.  In addition, he received the Branch Rickey Award for humanitarian efforts in 2008 and the Hutch Award in 2005, and was named the 1999 recipient of the Padres Chairman’s Award.